The soldiers stood in close order, in the
open; their musketry and artillery fire made a tremendous noise,
but did little damage to a foe they could hardly see. Now and
then through the hanging smoke terrible figures flitted, painted
black and red, the feathers of the hawk and eagle braided in
their long scalp-locks; but save for these glimpses, the soldiers
knew the presence of their somber enemy only from the fearful
rapidity with which their comrades fell dead and wounded in the
ranks."
At last, in desperation St. Clair ordered his men to break
through the deadly cordon and save themselves as best they could.
The Indians kept up a hot pursuit for a distance of four miles.
Then, surfeited with slaughter, they turned to plunder the
abandoned camp; otherwise there would have been escape for few.
As it was, almost half of the men in the engagement were killed,
and less than five hundred got off with no injury. The survivors
gradually straggled into the river settlements, starving and
disheartened.
The page on which is written the story of St.
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